toberead

Hey readers! I just decided to participate in the TBR TAKE DOWN read-a-thon that is taking place this week, June 1-7th. I am going to do my best to stick to this TBR and knock out the 5 challenges below. I just started Clockwork Angel and am loving it, so I am hoping to marathon the Infernal Devices/Mortal Instruments series this month if possible. If you’re interested in participating, I would love to hear what you plan on reading. Following the challenges while making my TBR list was a lot harder than you’d think! CLICK HERE to watch Shannon’s read-a-thon announcement video

#TBRTAKEDOWN challenges:

1. A book that’s been on your TBR shelf over a year!

Forget you by Jennifer Echols. I don’t know why, but I can’t stand the small weird size of this book. It’s actually one of the reasons i’ve been putting it off… I’m terrible, I know.

2. An unread sequel sitting on your TBR shelf.
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, because it’s about time I continue on with her series.

3. A first book in a series on your TBR shelf.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.

4. An “out of your comfort zone” book on le TBR shelf!
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. It’s not that it’s really out of my “comfort zone”, but I really don’t read much middle grade and i’ve heard amazing things about this book.

5. A book from your most recent book haul!
Clipped Wings by Helena Hunting. Still in the new adult mood, so I hope it’s a good one!

I am in SUCH a reading mood lately and want to finish as many books as I possibly can, but ‘m just about to start my on the job training. I’ll be doing my practice teaching for the entire month of May and am feeling both excited and nervous. I want to put my 100% into this experience, so I’m not quite sure how much reading I’ll be doing. You never know though, I did end up having a pretty good reading month in April, even with the stress of final exams. Maybe I will need the reading break at the end of the day!

Since reading The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, I have a huge craving for thriller books. So, I went out and bought The Bear by Claire Cameron and The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. I am really hoping to enjoy these. The Bear is very good so far! The story is told in the perspective of a five year old girl and I am adoring her narration. The Killing Floor by Lee Child is more of an action type of thriller and is the first book in the Jack Reacher series. I borrowed this from a friend and promised him a review. I would also love to jump into some fantasy in the month of May. I’ve recently purchased the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson because i’ve heard nothing but crazy awesome things about it. I may not have time to read the entire series this month, but I would like to start it. And last but not least, I plan on reading A Court of Thorns and Roses, a new release by the wonderful Sarah J Maas. I will be buddy reading this one with Mackenzie.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of the books that I’ve mentioned. It’s weird for me to stay away from the young adult genre, but i’m just going with my reading moods. Also, let me know if you have any thriller book recommendations for me. I hope you have a great reading month!

I’ve been on a bit of a contemporary kick lately, so I will be reading more of that genre than usual this month. There are many more books that I would love to be able to read in the month of April, but I have to be realistic – it’s exam month people! If all goes well, I will be studying hard during the day and still making time to read these books and relax in the evenings. I just don’t want to be putting TOO much pressure on myself.

A Time To Reap by Jonas Lee and The Gatekeepers Son by C.R. Fladmark are the “review books” that Mallory and I will be tackling in the next few weeks. Both of which were sent to us by the authors.

Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe is the book pick for our monthly discussion with Mackenzie and Marissa. I am really excited about discussing this one! You can check out last months discussion HERE.

Let me know if you have read or plan on reading any of these beauties!

I’m having a hard time believing it is my favorite time of year already. Where has this year gone? October is my absolute favorite, with the beautiful colors, the gorgeous weather, the yummy pumpkin treats and Halloween, what’s not to love?

September was probably my worst month of reading so far this year. I only ended up reading eight books when I usually try to get in the double digits. So here are the books I read in September.

1. Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★
Not my favorite of the series but I am still loving every minute of these books. I will be very sad for the series to end. I am waiting to finish this series to do a full series review.

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness ★★★★★
Absolutely adored this book. Do not be fooled by the plot, this one has some pretty heavy content in it. Full review to come this month.

3. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins ★★★★★
An absolute fabulous way to end out the series. I will forever love Stephanie Perkins and I hope she starts working on new books right away. Can’t get enough of her writing.

4. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica ★★★★
My book clubs choice for the month. I was very intrigued with this one and was blown away by the ending. A great thriller thrown in between the contemporary I was reading.

8. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman ★★★
Definitely not what I was expecting. As a dragon lover I had a hard time learning to love these dragons. But I have a full review of this one coming up next week and will let you know more of my thoughts then.

I’ve got a lot on my plate for October. We have received quite a few books for review, Maria and I have a ton of books to read together and I have lots of Halloween and horror posts planned for this month. So I’m going to try and not let myself get overwhelmed with all that. So here are the books I plan to read in October.

1. The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer. Currently reading this one and am halfway through.
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Reading with Maria.
3. The Merciless by Danielle Vega. Reading with Maria.
4. Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter. Reading with Maria.
5. Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. Reading with Maria, Marissa and Mackenzie.
6. Storm Siren by Mary Weber. Received from Netgalley and will be reviewing with Maria.
7. The Swallow by Charis Cotter. Received from Netgalley and will be reviewing with Maria.
8. When War Calls by Zy J. Rykoa. Making my way through this one and will be reviewing with Maria.
9. Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston. Received from Netgalley and will be reviewing with Maria.
10. The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. My book clubs choice of the month.
11. Horns by Joe Hill. Was on my list last month but didn’t have time to get to it.

As you can see the two of us will have our hands full this month. But you can expect our blog to be very busy this month.

Well August didn’t go quite as I planned it. I was on vacation for the last week and got absolutely no reading done. But I still managed to read 15 books in total.

Books I read in August:1. Taken At Dusk by C.C. Hunter ★★★★This was one of my monthly reads with Maria and hopefully we will have a full review up soon.
2. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare ★★★★
The fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series. Not quite as good as the third, but still a great read and continuation of the story.
3. The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer ★★★★★
One of my favourite reads of the month. I have done a full review and you can find it here: https://readsbymandm.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/book-review-the-wishing-spell-by-chris-colfer/4. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett ★★★★
Another great installation in the Discworld series, this time about witches instead of wizards. Really starting to adore Pratchett’s quirky and snarky writing style.
5. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris ★★★★
The third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I was totally craving this since I have been watching True Blood lately and they are a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine.
6. Blood Red Road by Moira Young ★★★★
Closer to a 3.5 for this one. I enjoyed it but I’m not too sure when I will continue on with the series.
7. Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★I was so totally in the mood for this one, out of the blue I just HAD to pick it up and I am so glad that I did. I’m very happy to be back in this series and I never want it to end.
8. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight ★★★
A great story line, fast paced and super intriguing but a solid build up to a let down of an ending. So many things could have been done better with this one.
9. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis ★★★★
Love the Chronicles of Narnia series, this one was much better than The Horse and His Boy. Can’t wait to continue on with the series.
10. Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson ★★★★
This was so so good, especially for a debut novel. It has your mind racing from chapter to chapter. It is very wonderfully written and I highly suggest picking this one up.
11. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa ★★★★
I went into this one not remembering a single thing from the first book but I quite enjoyed it none the less. I will not wait as long to pick up the third book so I can actually remember what is happening.
12. Atonement by Ian McEwan ★★★
This may be one of those times that I enjoyed the movie a little more than the book. I found some parts to be very dull and I really dragged through. Other parts were beautifully written though and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
13. Allies of the Night by Darren Shan ★★★★★
As always, loved this book. This is the 8th book in the series and I am completely in love. I am dreading the end. Will do a full review once I have finished the series.
14. Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★
I couldn’t resist picking this one up. I needed more Daemon in my life. Just as good as the rest.
15. The Lost World by Michael Crichton ★★★
This is the second book in the Jurassic Park series. I have a full review of this series coming soon.

Books I want to read in September:
1. Good Girl by Mary Kubica
2. Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
3. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
4. Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter
5. Horns by Joe Hill
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. The Giver by Lois Lowry
8. Carrie by Stephen King
9. The Soulstice by Simon Holt
10. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
11. The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
12. When War Calls by Zy Rykoa
13. The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer
14. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
15. The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
16. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
17. The Dinner by Herman Koch
18. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
19. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Let me know how reading in August was for you and what you plan to read in September!

WELCOME!

readsbymandm is a bookblog that was created in July of 2014 by Mallory and Maria. Here you will find everything between monthly wrap ups and tbrs to book reviews and discussions with our book friends Marissa and Mackenzie. To find exactly what post you are looking for, check out our categories below.